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Jelly and other Doughnuts

December 11, 2008 - 9:17am

Marni

Jelly and other Doughnuts

I'd like to try making Jelly and other doughnuts. They are traditional at Hanukkah time. I've never made any type of doughnut and don't fry foods ever, so any advice and ideas would be welcome. I have a couple recipes, but thought some expert bakers here might have a tried and true recommendation. Thanks!

I tried cake donuts last year, baked in the oven, for the first time. They were mediocre. I'd like to try fried donuts this year. I'll want a small recipe for the family (and to test my abilities) and I'd either double it, or try a larger recipe for my sister-in-law's chanukah party for the extended family and friends.

These are straight recipes. Glory to the detail! Basically mix up the dry (crumbling in the butter and cake yeast) and add the mixed up wet. Let rest 20-30 min. Knead to a smooth uniform dough (the baby behind thing) and let bulk rise. Inflate, roll out. Now the thicknes depends on if they are filled before or after baking in hot oil.

For the filled, roll to about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick (1 cm) and cut out with a floured drinking glass (or tin can or anything that will do) cutting two circles for each krapfen. Place a glob of jelly (there is only one kind in my book; apricot) into the center and carefully cover with another circle. Then find another drinking glass slightly smaller than the one just used and weld the dough circles together by pressing all the way through both of them cutting a very thin dough ring as scrap -- left overs to join the scrap pile for the last irregular donut. Let rise on a floured cloth and cover. After they have risen, they will go into the hot oil tops down. Very important - tops down. When browned, flip over to brown other side. The hot fat does not have to be deep, maybe an inch, because they are all swimming and it looks good to have a nice white band going around the jelly donut. I have no temperatures listed but it should not be too hot and also no details so checking with other recipes will certainly prove useful. Remove with a slotted spoon and let rest on paper towel. Let cool on a rack. Dust with pwd sugar (snow) and serve.

For the not filled try rolling out thicker just enough to cut out the right number of donuts. Heck make them square if you want! Forget the drinking glass search and look for a pastry tube. One with a long narrow end.

Makes 16:

500g flour

30g sugar

yeast (one cube or 2 teaspoons dry instant)

50 g butter

lemon extract

1/4 tsp salt (optional)

5 egg yolks

125ml mixture of light cream, milk

2 Tablespoon rum

apricot jam

oil

paper towels

powdered sugar

Makes 10:

350g flour

40g soft butter or Margerine

1/2 cub fresh yeast (or 1 1/2 teaspoon dry instant)

4 Tablespoons sugar

pinch of salt

125ml milk

2 egg yolks

apricot jam

oil

papertowels

powdered sugar

If they are filled after frying they tend to get more filling, also put pudding in after they are cooled or it will just run out again. Use a pastry tube to fill. I like to put home made snow flakes on top of the donuts before dusting with powdered sugar to mark the jelly ones from the vanilla ones. Have Fun! (Also check under Faschingskrapfen in searching for recipes! lots there!)

My favorite filling is cherry jam. My mom would fry them first, then fill them, then drizzle a thin glaze over them. Hoo, boy! Instead of jelly doughnuts, we knew them as bismarks or ponskis (ponczkis?).

My mouth waters at the thought of jelly doughnuts. When I make them, I fill them before frying; cut out your circle of dough, dab on a bit of jelly or jam, top with another round, then cut down with another, smaller cutter, sealing the edges firmly. We had an order for these some years ago, and wound up making so many, we lost count; the house smelled of cooking oil for weeks afterward and I wouldn't go near a doughnut for ages. But oh my, they are good, all sugary on the outside, light as feathers on the inside, with that lovely pocket of jam. Yum!

actualy the more oil the better because the more oil the less of a temp drop when you fry

the colder the oil the more the dough will absorbe making a greesy product. the friers i used held 100 pounds of shortening. oh by the way use shortening not oil a fat that gets solid when cold will make the doughnuts mush less greasy and can be reused many times.

even though there are trans fats in the shortening if the frying temp is right there is very litttle absorbedion so it realy is not to much of a problem unless your going to eat a dozen or 2 a day. only about 1 ounce till be absorbed in 12 dozen or or so

but the new trans fat free shortenings work very well remember they are trans fat free NOT FAT FREE

if you clean the fat by running it through a cheese cloth or other filter using it every day it should last about 24 to 28 days

but since you will not be using it every day cleaned and filtered and place in the fridg between uses you should get about 14 or more fries out of it.

the only thing wrong with lard whatever the type is that it has a taste that will be transfered to the food. if you like that it is great for frying

shortening has no flavor but will slowly pick up the taste of what is cooked in it but that would take using it 8 or 9 times for the same thing and if your only using it for doughnuts or french crulers it makes no diference

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